New Year — Brave Tutu Blog

Start There

During a goal setting session with a friend, I shared self-disappointment.

“I love Brave Tutu so much and with everything going on, I regret that I haven’t written a piece in so long. I just don’t know where to begin.”

“Why don’t you start there?” she said.

“Start with my disappointment and sadness?”

“Yeah, and how you’re not sure where to kick it off,” my friend encouraged. “If nothing else, it will be a good free write.”

Oh Claire Campbell, you are so wise.

Brave Tutu’s essence is to shine the light on small moments of significance—to uncover their rawness, wonder, beauty and even grief. However, for months I’ve felt stalled out. With added pressure, I wanted the January piece to serve as a mighty capstone of the last year and offer solid hope moving forward. But after a mind mushed from 2020 and the deadly insurrection at the Capitol, picking up the pen to dive into this space felt like writing on college-ruled paper with a magic marker. Impossible.

Authenticity, Author, Author Journey, Brave Tutu, COVID-19, Grief, Pandemic lifeRebekah ManleyJanuary 17, 2021New Years, New Year Comments

Showing Up

I clip into my spin bike and look around the room. I spot the familiar faces and think, These guys are always here. They must come all the time. Way more than me.

Before I even start the workout, I beat myself up a bit. Why?

The music starts to speed up. I catch my rhythm and try to dismiss the thoughts.